Abstract: A cap assembly of a front end of an inserting portion of an endoscope and a cap to be attached to the front end of the endoscope, comprising; a first engaging portion provided on the front end of the inserting portion of the endoscope; and, a second engaging portion provided on the cap being disengageably engaged with the first engaging portion of the endoscope. The front end of the inserting portion of the endoscope is provided with a projection whose diameter being smaller than a diameter of the front end, the projection being connected to the front end through a stepped portion.

Abstract: A cap assembly of a front end of an inserting portion of an endoscope and a cap to be attached to the front end of the endoscope, comprising; a first engaging portion provided on the front end of the inserting portion of the endoscope; and, a second engaging portion provided on the cap being disengageably engaged with the first engaging portion of the endoscope. The front end of the inserting portion of the endoscope is provided with a projection whose diameter being smaller than a diameter of the front end, the projection being connected to the front end through a stepped portion.

Abstract: An end structure of an endoscope includes a front end body of a cylindrical insertion portion to be inserted in a human body, a fluid discharge opening which opens into the front end body, a front end cap detachably attached to the front end body and having a fluid injection nozzle connected to the fluid discharge opening. A projection is provided on the end cap, is fitted in the fluid discharge port, and constitutes at least a part of the fluid injection nozzle.

Abstract: A passenger protection system for a motor vehicle having a supplementary power supply for operating the protection system has a relatively small capacity. This enables the system to be made more compact and lighter. The vehicle includes a battery disposed in parallel with two diodes via a key switch. Output form one diode charges a back-up condenser. Discharge energy from the back-up condenser is provided to the airbag circuit via a switch. The output of the other diode is also provided to the airbag circuit. The switch is controlled by a detection circuit that judges whether energy is supplied from the back-up condenser to the airbag circuit. An ignition device is set so that the airbag may be operated via a switch which is turned on with deceleration so that the power is provided responsive to a collision determination.

Abstract: An electrical heating type catalytic device having a metallic catalyst carrier constituted by layering metallic foils, surfaces of the metallic foils being coated by an insulation film, adjoining metallic foils being joined conductively in only some regions of the metallic catalyst carrier.

Abstract: An electronic endoscope having an internal circuit board bearing an electronic circuit arrayed thereon and coupled with a solid-state image pick-up element, with wires of the circuit board connected to lead wires passing through the insertion portion of the endoscope. The circuit board is folded along lines extending the axial direction of the distal end of the insertion portion, so as to divide the circuit board into a plurality of planar surfaces. The electronic circuit wiring portion and the lead wire connecting portion are laid out on the different planar surfaces.

Abstract: A metal catalyst carrier for exhaust gas purification, comprising: a metal honeycomb column composed of flat and wavy metal sheets laminated, wound together, and bonded to each other to provide numerous exhaust gas flow paths along the column axis, the honeycomb column having a quasi-elliptical cross section defined by a pair of mutually facing linear portions and a pair of mutually facing curved portions in a plane perpendicular to the column axis, the flat and wavy sheets being bonded in a greater bond rate in the major axial end portions than in the other portion of the quasi-ellipse, the bond rate being defined as a quotient obtained by dividing a bonded length by a total length of lines on which the laminated and wound flat and wavy sheets are in contact with each other; and a columnar metal case fittingly enclosing the honeycomb column and bonded to the honeycomb column only in the portions corresponding to the curved portions of the quasi-elliptical cross section.

Abstract: The distal end body of an endoscope accommodates an objective optical system, and a solid-state image pick-up element having a light receiving surface is disposed axially in parallel with the center axis of the objective optical system. A prism is disposed such that the optical axis of the objective optical system is perpendicular to the center axis of the light receiving surface. An object is imaged on the light receiving surface of the solid-state image pick-up element, through the objective optical system. The prism is shaped like a trapezoid in cross-section to minimize the size of the endoscope.

Abstract: The distal end body of an endoscope containing an objective optical system or other components is coupled with the distal end of a bendable portion by a coupling tube. The rear end of the coupling tube is fitted on the inside of the foremost end part of the bendable portion and is fixed to the foremost end part of the bendable portion at fixing locations. Portions of the coupling tube proximate the fixing locations have a greater thickness while remaining locations have a lesser thickness, so as to provide adequate mechanical strength while maximizing the interior cross sectional area of the coupling tube.

Abstract: To improve the strength of the laser weld bond between an inner honeycomb column and an outer metal case, a metal honeycomb assembly comprises a metal honeycomb column composed of a flat metal sheet and a wavy metal sheet which are mutually laminated and spirally wound together, the metal honeycomb column having an outermost circumferential portion in the form of a composite wavy sheet composed of a plurality of superposed layers of the wavy metal sheet; and a metal case fittingly enclosing the metal honeycomb column, the metal case and the metal honeycomb column being bonded together by laser-welding the wave peaks of the composite wavy sheet to an inner wall of the metal case.

Abstract: Disclosed is a multi-point welding method capable of certainly welding an object having a number of points to be welded for a short time. First, an approximately cylindrical base body is formed by alternately laminating a flat sheet and a corrugated sheet and then winding them in a spiral shape. In this case, there exist a number of contact points of the flat sheet to the corrugated sheet, that is, points to be welded. Next, there is provided an electrode apart from one end surface of the base body by a specified interval and facing to the end surface. After that, by intermittently applying a current across the electrode and the one end surface of the base body thereby intermittently generating electric discharges between the electrode and the one end surface of the base body, to thus fuse and weld the points to be welded of the flat sheet to the corrugated sheet.

Abstract: A distal end part of an endoscope, which has an objective optical system arranged to face forwardly in a distal end block, and a solid-state imaging device disposed in the distal end block at a position where an observed image is formed by the objective optical system. The distal end part includes a light guide fiber bundle for illuminating an observation filed of view of the object optical system, and a bore that is provided in the distal end block with an angle of inclination so that the boar approaches an optical axis of the objective optical system at the forward end thereof.

Abstract: An endoscope which is convenient to use to both right- and left-handed individuals. The endoscope has a connection portion extending between an operating portion and an insertion portion which is sheathed with a cylindrical sheath casing having a forceps insertion inlet projecting therefrom. The sheath casing is capable of being axially rotated so as to change the direction thereof and being held in a fixed position after being rotated to the desired position.

Abstract: A distal end part is connected to the distal end of a flexible tube, the distal end part having a larger outer diameter than that of the flexible tube. The distal end part has a substantially circular cross-sectional configuration that includes one or a plurality of flat peripheral portions. The distal end part is provided therein with an objective portion of an observation optical system which includes a solid-state image pickup device, for example.

Abstract: An exhaust gas purifying filter having a multiplicity of inward being open at the one axial end and blocked at the other axial end, a multiplicity of outward passages parallel to the axis of the filter, the outward passages being open at one axial end and blocked at the other axial end, and having porous partition walls placed between the inward passages and the outward passages and separating the inward passages and the outward passages from one another, which is characterized in that the surface of the partition wall exposed to at least the inward passage has superficial pores communicating with internal pores in the partition wall, the superficial pores being composed of small pores having a diameter of 5 to 40 .mu.m and large pores having a diameter of 40 to 100 .mu.m, the number of the small pores being 5 to 40 times that of said large pores and production of the same.

Abstract: Filter apparatus having a honeycomb structure and a heater for purifying exhaust gases consists of cells or passages defined by porous partition walls. Alternate passages are provided respectively with upstream plugs and downstream plugs. Particulates in exhaust gases are trapped in the honeycomb structure and ignited by the heater. The upstream plugs define spaces upstream thereof in which particulates are trapped in addition to those trapped in the passages having downstream plugs. The heat of burning of the particulates trapped in the spaces facilitates the burning of the particulates trapped in the passages having downstream plugs. Therefore, the exhaust gas particulates trapped and collected in the downstream portion of the structure can also be easily burned to regenerate the structure over its entire length.